This may be an absurd or bizarre question. And it's for the apparently decreasing numbers of those who build kits, and particularly multiple ones of an identical car.
I recently got a good price on four Intermountain R-40 reefers. Except for their road numbers, they're all the same. Question is: build 'em separately or "production line" style? They're not too complex, and I may opt to subtitute wire grabs, stirrups and whatnot for the ones provided by IM on sprues. Perhaps doing each stage serially for all of them (roofs, then undercarriages, then grabs and ladders, yada yada) would make more sense if I were dealing with a half dozen or more. Or if there were additonal steps beyond just assembly, like a batch of undecorateds needing to be painted and decaled as well. Perhaps it's a frivilous concern altogether. Just looking for any past lessons by experience that might be out there.
Have at it . . .
Attuvian John
Well, it seems that I always learn something when I build a new kit. Maybe do one first, then do the production line?
Simon
When I start a series of identical kits, I always build the first one alone, start to finish. That way I find any problems with the kit and tricks for better / faster assembly before I hit those points with the whole lot. Then I build the rest in an assembly line.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
I was already somewhat familiar with assembling Bowser/Stewart ore jennies so when I expanded the roster I used assembly-line methods.
PRR_G39-Stewart by Edmund, on Flickr
Worked out fine for me.
Regards, Ed
I'm a one at a time guy. Not that mass production is bad. It's just that something always interupts the assembly. Projects get put on hold for something more pressing and it's easier to go back to one than a dozen. My workbench can see many different things in a day from model railroad to kids toys or something the wife needs fixed right away.
Pete.
Once you are familiar with the kit mass production can save time. You only have to find a tool, decide what size drill bit to use, what glue to use, warm up the soldering iron, mix the paint, clean the airbrush, etc, etc, etc, one time instead of multiple times.
Mark
wrench567 I'm a one at a time guy. Not that mass production is bad. It's just that something always interupts the assembly. Projects get put on hold for something more pressing and it's easier to go back to one than a dozen.
I do the same thing. I can build kits one at a time and have a better chance at finishing all four. It take less motivation to come back and finish just one kit.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
A few years ago, I did a kit re-build of some Athearn boxcars that I picked up at a very reasonable price.My goal was to have some boxcars that didn't look like the ordinary ones that most of us have.Here are some photos of the process (not necessarily in the order they were done)...
...each one of these steps were done, one-at-a-time on all eight cars...more-or-less mass production, (but on a limited scale).
...a little underbody detail...
...some end detail...
...new roofs in-place, and running boards under construction...
...making detail parts...
...and securing extra weight in each car...
...some added rivet detail, both new and also replacements where such detail had been accidentally removed...
...and one of eight finished boxcars...
The decals were, as far as I'm aware, the last done by Rail Graphics. (My brother, Steven, did the artwork, as he did for my earlier dry transfers from C-D-S)
These 8 formerly Athearn boxcars are still nothing but 8 boxcars, but they're boxcars that are unique to my layout.
I've done a few similar projects to create unique cars from mass produced kits or r-t-r items, too.
Wayne
As a few have said, try one.... get the gist of it. Seek out any problems, OR, easier solutions to building the kit. Either way, working the first one will certainly give you what you need to 'streamline' (pun intended) your production.
I have found this process to save time in the long run, plus give me a good understanding of the model(s) in question. And you might just learn a few tricks along the way. I think we all can agree, in this hobby, practice makes perfect.
PMR
No production line for me. Build each one at a time. Depending on the items I like some to be different to others.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
I don't think that there is a single 'right' answer to this question.
A few years ago I superdetailed eight Athearn BB caboose kits into hacks for my Algoma Eastern RR. I did them on an assembly line basis because the modifications were pretty simple and easy to do. There wasn't going to be any differences between the cabooses except for the car numbers.
In contrast to that, I built two Kaslo Shops CP caboose resin kits and the complexity dictated that I do one at a time because I was greatly concerned about making mistakes. This was definitely a case of "....let's get the first one right instead of screwing up both of them at the same time!.....".
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I did a couple of production line kits, one the Intermountain Candadian 4 Bay Covered Hopper and the Exactrail PS 4427 Covered Hoppers.
I found that I got extremely bored by having to install the running board supports on the Intermountain Kits and the end and side grabs on the Exactrail Kits. I now do one of those kits when I feel like it in between doing some of the easier Branchline and Intermountain boxcar kits.
I recently completed the 14th Tichy Anderson's Hopper car kit, the first one took a couple of years, now I can crank out one after two days of intermittant work and assembling another kit while the glue dries on the Tichy kit, these take a lot of time if you are adding the wire for the brake gear, and forming and installing all the grabs. (and finding out the sequence for installing the brake gear it out of wack from the instructions).
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Pruitt When I start a series of identical kits, I always build the first one alone, start to finish. That way I find any problems with the kit and tricks for better / faster assembly before I hit those points with the whole lot. Then I build the rest in an assembly line.
If they're simple-n-easy, I go all in production line. If complicated, as has been suggested, do the first one, then copy in production line.
I've acquired a number of Keystone Locomotive Works 44 tonners. I'm building and modifying the first right now. As seen in WPF this week. When I go to do the next one, I will mass produce the trickier parts for the whole batch. Flywheels, frame mod pieces, and probably some other pieces that will become standard equipment on the fleet. Dan
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
One thing I usually do assembly line fashion is trucks. I like to paint the truck frames brown and then weather them with powders, so it's basically just repetition. I also replace the kit's plastic wheelsets with metal.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.